Number selection games like Keno have long been a staple for the gaming industry. They are played in many ways: on physical boards, with bingo like player cards and numbered balls, by individual players at individual machines as a video game, as casino, Keno parlor, or other venue-wide games, or as online lottery games available in various locations, such as bars, throughout a jurisdiction. They are simple to understand and desirable to players despite traditionally having one of the highest profit margins for operators, making them very desirable to operators.
One feature that makes Keno and other online lottery games popular is the fact that they take place over a period of time. Thus, they provide relatively continuous entertainment over a period of time. Numbers are constantly being drawn, and multiple drawings occur at regular intervals. This is different than games, such as Powerball, that focus on a single big drawing event, or Instant Lottery tickets which provide an immediate play experience, but generally do not provide entertainment over an extended time period. Accordingly, Keno and other online lottery games are particularly popular in bars and social locations, where players socialize and play Keno at the same time.
Although tickets for online wagering games, like Keno, can sometimes be purchased on one visit to a location, and then redeemed on a later date, entries are typically not played over an extended period of multiple days with a very large number of draws. Also, although online wagering games, like Keno, are often played socially, e.g., in bars or restaurants, the game that is typically provided does not allow for competition between players.